City of Cape Town traffic officers, working alongside police, apprehended six hijacking suspects in the early hours of Saturday morning, while a separate Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR-assisted) recovery netted a stolen vehicle the previous day.
At approximately 01:40, traffic officers were alerted to a possibly hijacked vehicle at the R300 south and Van Riebeeck Road interchange. Two traffic vehicles joined the pursuit. When the suspects abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot, officers gave chase – traffic officers apprehended three suspects, while police caught the remaining three.
The vehicle’s owner later confirmed that the car had been hijacked in Mfuleni and that her husband had been stabbed during the ordeal.
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ANPR technology leads to second recovery
In a separate incident at around 12:00 on Friday, a Highway Patrol Unit officer’s in-vehicle ANPR system flagged an alert for a reported stolen vehicle – a white Ford Courier – travelling northbound along Valhalla Drive.
The officer immediately made a U-turn and tailed the vehicle before conducting a traffic stop on Bofors Circle in Epping. The driver was found not to be in possession of a valid driving licence and a subsequent vehicle check confirmed the Ford Courier had been reported stolen in Kleinvlei.
Both the driver and the vehicle were handed over to Elsies River police, where a case was opened for possession of suspected stolen property.
Technology and proactive patrolling cited
The successful recovery highlights the effectiveness of ANPR technology combined with proactive patrols by the City of Cape Town Traffic Services’ Ghost Squad in identifying and recovering stolen vehicles on Cape Town’s road network.
